We grew up watching Bonanza. Most of us were mesmerized by the opening to the program, a map set afire and the characters following in on horseback. Dan Blocker played the character of Hoss Cartwright. Hoss Cartwright was big and sensitive. He was adored by fans of Bonanza because he always defended his family and helped them in whatever problem they were dealing with. The compassionate face of the friendly giant, Dan Blocker, fit in nicely with the character of Hoss Cartwright.
He was a character that many people whether they were as big as Dan Blocker or not could relate to and want to be like.Didn’t catch that? This explains it. Who wouldn’t want to be as gentle, strong and compassionate as Hoss Cartwright. The writers who worked in Hoss Cartwright into their scripts also gave him the leading role occasionally. When Hoss Cartwright played the lead on Bonanza, his vulnerability was emphasized. He, too, was saved by his family mostly by Little Joe. The framework of Bonanza was different from other family style programs that were popular at the time. The head of the family was literally a male. He did not have a wife although he had been married several times. His children were all males and each from a different wife. Hoss Cartwright’s mother must have been the sweetest of them all.

Comments are closed.